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“Business Scaling Partnership” agreement between Kudan and Nihon Unisys for advanced AP Technology

08.16.2019

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〜Agreement to enable the acceleration of the creation process for new services and solutions for the major markets of MaaS/autonomous driving and spatial control〜

Kudan Inc. (headquarters in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Managing Director Tomo Ohno) and Nihon Unisys, Ltd. (headquarters in Kōtō-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO Akiyoshi Hiraoka) are proud to announce that they have entered into a “business scaling partnership”, and together plan to accelerate the creation of new services and solutions for the major markets represented by MaaS (mobility as a service), autonomous driving and spatial control, using the spatial and object recognition software SLAM and LiDAR technology.

With the recent dramatic expansion of the markets driven by location recognition and spatial control technology to produce such varied systems as MaaS, self-driving vehicles, robotics and AR/VR/MR products, there is a pressing need to swiftly adapt fundamental technology such as SLAM to provide the services and solutions needed by these markets. In response to this need, a complementary partnership has been developed to combine the super high-speed, high accuracy artificial perception technology and independently-created machine map platform developed by Kudan with the rich commercial knowledge, client base and business development capacity possessed by Nihon Unisys in fields as wide-ranging as finance, manufacturing, distribution, medicine and public works, in order to create brand new services and solutions which will provide answers to a broad range of social issues which have hitherto resisted more traditional approaches.

In the field of MaaS, one of the most prominent current digital transformation services, Nihon Unisys continues to expand the implementation of its mobility service platform “smart oasis®” and has recently introduced “smart oasis® for Carsharing” for the East Japan Railway Company Group’s JR East Rental & Lease Co., Ltd. A tripartite agreement has also been reached between Nihon Unisys, Keihan Bus and Ōtsu City to promote the practical implementation of MaaS as a means of connecting mobility with local economic activity in accordance with Ōtsu City’s sustainable urban development goals. The establishment of a cooperative relationship with Kudan, a pioneering firm in the field of artificial perception, anticipated as the most promising technology for the practical implementation of the spatial control functionality at the core of MaaS and the IoT, and provider of a “machine map platform” making possible the creation and utilization of machine maps optimized for processing by machine intelligence, will serve to facilitate Nihon Unisys’s ventures in these fields and allow for the swift development and provision of services targeting these growing mega-markets.

[What is a business scaling partnership?]
Kudan’s artificial perception is a core technology which can be flexibly applied to a wide range of technologies and solutions using location recognition and spatial control functionality. While concentrating on research and development in this deep tech field, Kudan is also placing increasing focus on market development together with its major global partners from each level of industry. Nihon Unisys’s expertise has enabled the swift integration of Kudan’s deep tech within the domestic market, collaborating with Kudan as a strategic partner in everything from verification tests to commercialization plans in order to expand their business scale. Moving forward, the two companies have agreed to undertake further cooperative measures with an eye to global expansion.

About Nihon Unisys, Ltd.
The Nihon Unisys Group has a history of over 60 years in system integration, solving its clients’ issues and constructing systems to support industry and society. Underpinned by this abundant experience and knowhow, Nihon Unisys has positioned itself at the core of an extensive business ecosystem transcending the borders of industry and business category in order to collaborate with its clients and partners in the creation of new ventures to enrich society and solve the issues it faces.
For more information, please refer to Nihon Unisys’ website at https://www.unisys.co.jp/.

About Kudan Inc.
Kudan (Tokyo Stock Exchange securities code: 4425) is a deep tech research and development company specializing in algorithms controlling artificial perception (AP), a technology which provides machines (computers and robots) with the equivalent of human “eyes.” As a complement to artificial intelligence (AI), AP functions as a deep tech which allows machines to develop autonomy. Currently, Kudan is using its high-level technical innovation to explore business areas based on its own milestone models established for deep tech which provide wide-ranging impact on several major industrial fields. In addition to the independently-developed AP technology it has produced, Kudan is also conducting R&D in the fields of machine perception, deep perception and neural perception networks, with an eye to the integration of its technology with artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT).
For more information, please refer to Kudan’s website at https://www.kudan.io/.

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